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Western cable style plow won't drop

Older style Western with cables. Went up and won't drop. Cables now detached and I'm working the little valve lever by hand.. the ram won't go back down. I tried adjusting the drop speed by backing the adjustment allen bolt way out and no change. It should be easier than this.. any ideas?

Thanks.. I already have the long version mechanics' guide. There's very little troubleshooting help in there.. probably because it's such a simple pump. Could it be something with the packing (and nut) that will hold the weight of the plow?

yes, it is possible to get the packing nut so tight that the ram won't go down. I'm a little worried about what you said 'adjusting the drop speed by backing the adjustment allen bolt way out'. Are you talking about the check valve on the back of the power unit? the troubleshooting guide says 'if plow will not lower or lowers too slow turn IN (CW)'. and it also warns 'sensitive adjustments - max 1/8 turn at a time'.

That was a typo.. I meant IN. It's been in both directions with no change, actually. I just got this thing, so I dont know how long its been since it was used. I tried loosening the packing nut today.. big wrench, long pipe.. it's tight! couldn't budge it. Do you think that should be my next thing to try? Running out of ideas.

hmmm. well yes, that could be the problem if someone tightened it too far.
But the other thing that could cause the nut to be really hard to turn is that it's been sitting forever and is seized up in the housing. If that's the case then it's probably not what's keeping it from going down.
Since you just got it, you don't know which it is.
You could try some penetrating fluid on the threads and apply a small amount of heat to the nut. Need to be careful not to damage the aluminum pump housing.

You have probably caused yourself more issues by fussing with the lift valve and drop speed adjustment. getting them properly adjusted is almost an art form.

I agree with the seized packing nut idea. If you have disconnected the cables and moves the gate by hand the the unit will not drop it is probably the packing nut.

the great news is the nut is steel and the housing aluminum, so galnvanitic corrosion has probably "welded" them together.

Your solution is heat. Not a lot and do it quickly so the entire housing doesn't over heat.

Direct most of the heat to the packing nut itself. You can wrap a wet towel around the body of the pump while you do this but be careful not to cool the top of the housing to abruptly or you will warp the opening. It's best to quench cool before you completely remove the packing nut.

Basher is right heat is the next step. The biggest this is when you are trying to loosen the gland nut is watch out for the bottom mounting lug of the hydro unit. I have seen people that have but so much force trying to loosen the nut that they had broken the two bolt for the bottom lug.
good luck.

Basher is right heat is the next step. The biggest this is when you are trying to loosen the gland nut is watch out for the bottom mounting lug of the hydro unit. I have seen people that have but so much force trying to loosen the nut that they had broken the two bolt for the bottom lug.
good luck.

Click to expand...

good point Noble I should have:blush2: mentioned it is best to do this off the truck and clamp the entire pump body down rather then just the base lug for the reason stated above.

I never thought about the possibility of breaking that bottom attachment tab off! I can see where that might happen.

So, being conscious of that, I heated the nut and put a wrench with a cheater bar on it. Nothin'! Didn't budge at all. I made an appointment to take it in to a plow shop on tuesday. I HATE paying someone to do mechanical work for me.. Makes me want to take the big gun to it and cut the truck into little pieces.

I put the plow back on and jacked it up, leaving it hanging overnight. Lever in the down position. At some point overnight, it fell! I've since adjustd the drop speed and it seems to work okay up and down. I'm going to flush out the old fluid and change filter, etc..

NEXT.. it doesn't angle! Could be just an adjustment. It seems to be fighting itself, like its trying to go both ways at the same time. I've got the manual, I'll figure it out.

The ram was stuck, possible at the wiper. It doesn't angle might be because you adjusted the lift valve if it's not right it wouldn't angle. Or could be just old fluid full of crap clogging things up. Rebuilding it will assure continued operation.